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Quote by Ashim Shanker

“Doubt has become the veritable wellspring of my creative process and my philosophic explorations. It has equipped me with the temerity and wherewithal to question certain truths deemed ‘fundamental’ by my betters. Defiance has made me stubborn—possibly even arrogant—enough to shrug off rejection and all fears thereof, no matter how lacerating to the self-esteem these could be. It has given me the will to seek only to satisfy myself.”

Quote by Ashim Shanker

Book:Sinew of the Social Species
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Sinew of the Social Species

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Ashim Shanker

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“I got hold of a copy of the video that showed how Saddam Hussein had actually confirmed himself in power. This snuff-movie opens with a plenary session of the Ba'ath Party central committee: perhaps a hundred men. Suddenly the doors are locked and Saddam, in the chair, announces a special session. Into the room is dragged an obviously broken man, who begins to emit a robotic confession of treason and subversion, that he sobs has been instigated by Syrian and other agents. As the (literally) extorted confession unfolds, names begin to be named. Once a fellow-conspirator is identified, guards come to his seat and haul him from the room. The reclining Saddam, meanwhile, lights a large cigar and contentedly scans his dossiers. The sickness of fear in the room is such that men begin to crack up and weep, rising to their feet to shout hysterical praise, even love, for the leader. Inexorably, though, the cull continues, and faces and bodies go slack as their owners are pinioned and led away. When it is over, about half the committee members are left, moaning with relief and heaving with ardent love for the boss. (In an accompanying sequel, which I have not seen, they were apparently required to go into the yard outside and shoot the other half, thus sealing the pact with Saddam. I am not sure that even Beria or Himmler would have had the nerve and ingenuity and cruelty to come up with that.)”

FilmTortureConspiracyExecutionDictatorshipSyriaSaddam HusseinHimmlerBa Ath PartyBa Athist IraqBa AthismBeriaCull
Book:Hitch 22: A Memoir
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“You might think that the Left could have a regime-change perspective of its own, based on solidarity with its comrades abroad. After all, Saddam's ruling Ba'ath Party consolidated its power by first destroying the Iraqi communist and labor movements, and then turning on the Kurds (whose cause, historically, has been one of the main priorities of the Left in the Middle East). When I first became a socialist, the imperative of international solidarity was the essential if not the defining thing, whether the cause was popular or risky or not. I haven't seen an anti-war meeting all this year at which you could even guess at the existence of the Iraqi and Kurdish opposition to Saddam, an opposition that was fighting for 'regime change' when both Republicans and Democrats were fawning over Baghdad as a profitable client and geopolitical ally. Not only does the 'peace' movement ignore the anti-Saddam civilian opposition, it sends missions to console the Ba'athists in their isolation, and speaks of the invader of Kuwait and Iran and the butcher of Kurdistan as if he were the victim and George W. Bush the aggressor.”

IraqSocialismCommunismAnti WarMiddle EastIraq WarBaghdadLeftismKuwaitPeace MovementLabour MovementGeorge W BushSaddam HusseinRepublican Party United StatesDemocratic Party United StatesKurdish PeopleBa Ath PartyIran Iraq WarIraqi KurdistanOpposition To The Iraq WarInvasion Of KuwaitAl Anfal CampaignIraqi Communist Party
Book:Christopher Hitchens and His Critics: Terror, Iraq, and the Left
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“When you learn to trust your gut, you start to see that everything in your life, from minor to major matters, unfolds exactly as it should. From your health, job, family, and spirituality to making big decisions about your finances, relationships, and for your highest good, your intuition is at the helm directing you.”

SpiritualityRelationshipsWorkHealthIntuitionLife ChoicesFinancesTrust Your GutHigher Wisdom
Book:Intuitive Guide: How to Trust Your Gut, Embrace Divine Signs, & Connect with Heavenly Messengers
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